Improvement in tapping water-pipes



UNITEDSTATES Parenti* lIMPROVEMENT IN TAPPING WATER-PiPES.

Spccilication forming part ol' Letters Patent No. 115,964, dated January 24, 1865.

, M assachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Method OfTapvping Tater-Pipes; and I do', hereby declare thatthc following is a full, clear, and exact description of the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in whichw 'Figure'l-rcpresents a cross-sectionof my tapliolderas applied to one kind of waterpipes4 Fig-..2 represents a top view of a sec'- tional part of tappingclamp. Fig. 3 represents a bottom View of Fig. 2 5 and Fi g. 4 represents a section on line A B, Fig. l.

In the drawings, A represents a wroughtiron hoop or band, the inner surface of which is covered with a cement lining, B, the 'whole p forming a section of oneV kind of pipes. Pipes made-after this plan are usually covered by cement upon the outsidev when they-are laid in the trenches, or with some other substance that will protect the iron 'from the effects of moisture, Much ditlieulty has been experiencedv heretofore in tapping this kind of pipe, especially under pressure, and the most common method adopted has been to solder the tap C to the top of the pipe. To this mode are many objections. Some of the more important may be enumerated thus: The taps are usually made of brass or some similar metallic compound or. alloy, and it has been found objectionable where any abiding` perinanency was required to form the union by soldering. Again, in order to`solder at all` with any degree of expedition, the taps must be soldered to the tops of the pipes, and consequently the taps stand in a vertical position upon the top of the pipe, and the projection a of the stop or plug G is thus brought into a" horizontal position, whereby, after the connection is formed anda box placed over the tap, the stop or plug G cannot be turned or. opened and shut without making a wrench or key speciallyv adapted for such use, and such, key or wrench must be made in a different' form from those used where the plug is placed in a vertical position, and are, besides, far more difficult to operate. A gain, when the taps are soldered'on' there isl,great danger and lia-bility of wrenchingor breaking them oft while opening and closingthe plugs to shut oit' or let on the water. v f

4Still another objection to soldering on the taps results from the necessity of always having an experienced plumber in order to have the work even so'pcrformcd as to give temporary satisfaction, and this involves much additional expense and trouble. The services of one extra hand is thus required in addition to thecarrying to and from the shop ot'all the tools and apparatus necessary for use in soldering.

. Toall of. the kabove objections must be added those resultingfronithe great'uncertainty of making perfect joints, 'evenwith the aid of the bestspluinbers, in Viennot'y the-fact that the work has to be 'performed inl wet and muddy trenches and upon cold pipes.

By my inode of tapping the pipe all of the above objections are obviated, while the lateral service-pipes can be connected with the main pipes without theintroduction of goosencc'ks or quarter-circles, which are always necessary where the taps are soldered on, it being necessary to solder them 011 top of the main pipe. I

By my, method the tap-holder P is cast with the clamp-piece H, and upon the inner surface is cut the female thread nb, to receive the male thread a of the tap G, as fully shown in Fig. l. The under surface of the clamp H is hollowed out from E to E and from F to F', as is fullyindicated in the drawings, Figs. 1,3, and 4. rEhe bottom or inner side of the tap-holder G is also hollowed or cast with a circular groove for the reception ot' a packing, I, for a purpose which will be hereinafter described..A rEhe clamp part H, to which is connected the tap-holder G, is held to' the pipe in this instance by a secondary clamp-piece, Hf, in combination with the clamping-bolts J J and nuts d d.

The operation is as follows: vThe cement is removed from the outer surface of so much of the metal part of the pipe as is necessary to allow of the properpflt of theclamping-pieees H and Hf, when theV cavities upon their inner' surfaces are well lledwith cement, more being putin than what is sufiicicnt to fill such cavities even full. *The clamping-pieces are now placed in proper position around the pipe, and clamping-bolts J J inserted and their nuts d d turned up, whereby the pieces El 4H are drawn closely and firmly upouthe pipe. At the same time the cement is caused by the great pressure to iill eompactly and in the most perfect manner the space left betweenthe clamping-irons yand the metall A of the pipe, thus prevent-ing all corrosion ofthe metal pipe A, and at the same time forming a tight and perfect joint entirely around the flange e upon the inner side or surface of the tap-holder D. The plug Gis now turned so as to bring the hole or opening f inline with the hole g in the tap C, when the drill is inserted and the hole h drilled in the pipe, after f which the drill is Withdrawmthe. plug turned'- into the positionshown in Fig. 1, and the necessary service-pipe attached to the end K of thetap C. v A.

The object of applying the packing I in the' manner described is to avoid the possibility 'ofthe water reaching` the cement until it has become perfectly hard. '-Instead of fallin-g thel cavity in clamping-irons H H with American or Roman cemeI1t,it-may be filled Withoil putty orga composition of coaltar, asphaltum., and clay. v

For 'the packing Within the flangee, rubber, leather, or. lead will answerna vgood pury pose,

The space between the ends L L of the clampingirons can be filled in width-cementv after thelatter are properly put on.

From the foregoing description it will .be seen that by my improved method of tapping water-pipes, that the operation can be per-1 v .Having described44 my' improw'f'ed .method of.

tapping water-pipes, what -I claim l:as of my invention-,and desire to secure by Letters Patenufis- 1 1. The combination ofl the clamping-"irons H H" with the pipe A, tap-holder D, and tap G, substantially-:as'and 'for the purposes described. l

2, The combination of. the clamping-iron H' with the taJp-holderiD .and tap Gysubstani tially as' and forthe purposes described. y

. 3. v`The combination of the packingl'with pipe A, tap-holder D, andtap O, substantially as and for the purposesdescribed. 1

PHINEEIAS BALL. 'Witnesses :l

Trios. H. DODGE, J. HENRY HILL.` 

